Seat introduces new hot Leon

Just a week after launching the super-economical Ecomotive version we featured here a few days ago, Seat has extended its Leon range at the upper end by introducing a hot new Cupra R version, claimed to be the quickest car the company has sold in the 25 years it has been present in then UK.

The new model has a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that's good for 265 horsepower, more even than the already rapid standard Cupra, which makes do with 240. The Cupra R delivers 350 Newton metres of torque to the Cupra's 300. In the right hands, it is capable of accelerating to 100km/h (62mph) in 6.2 seconds, and offers a claimed top speed of 155mph.

The Cupra R achieves 34.9mpg in the official combined cycle test and emits 190g/km of CO2 – not as good as the figures achieved by the Ecomotive version, but still impressive for a car offering so much performance.

The new car goes on sale in the UK at a price of £25,205, for which buyers also enjoy a number of sporty cosmetic tweaks that are not found on lesser Leons. Production will be limited to 500 units per year.